Adapter



Septw 18, 1956 1. G. LwlNcss-roNE ADAPTER 2 Sheecs--Sheel 1 Filed Junel0, 1952 s o r///////////////, 35 r 512203475 3 3 4444 3 3 w 9 3 s mm iINVENTOR.

JAY G. LIVINGSTONE BY ATTORNEY Sept. 18, 1956 J. G. L lvxNGsToNE ADAPTER2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June lO, 1952 INVENTR. JAY GLIVINGSTONE FIG. 3

FIG. 4

ATTORNEY United States Patent C ADAPTER .lay Gould Livingstone, Akron,Ohio Application June 10, 1952, Serial No. 292,646

19 Claims. (Cl. 222-109) This invention relates to a spout adapter orthe like to be used on a bottle or other container with a tubularopening. The invention includes means for holding the adapter on thebottle and several such means are disclosed. Although the specificationand claims refer more particularly to the use of the adapters onbottles, they may be used equally well on metal containers, for ex amplethose with threaded openings closed by threaded caps, etc. The inventionincludes a method of assembling a bottle, cap and adapter. The preferredform of adapter which is illustrated includes a run-back channel forreturning to the bottle or other container any liquid which drips orruns down from the spout after pouring.

The adapter is formed of flexible resilient plastic. It may be made ofpolyethylene, etc. Stiffer plastics such as polystyrene, etc. may beused, and with such stiffer plastics a gasket may be used adjacent thebottle whereas with polyethylene no gasket is necessary. Polyethylene ispreferred. The bottle or other container is rigid and may be made ofglass, porcelain, metal, plastic, etc. A preferred form of adapter isdesigned to produce an annular air pocket around the top edge of thebottle between inner and outer sealing means on the adapter whichcontact the bottle in radially spaced annular areas. Means for formingsuch an air pocket is disclosed in the drawings and will be discussed inwhat follows.

The adapter may be held on the bottle by a relatively rigid cap. Thiscap may be made of glass, porcelain, plastic, metal, etc. This cap ispreferably provided with internal threads which are screwed ontoexternal threads at the mouth of the bottle. Several such caps are shownin the drawings and will be described in what follows. The cap may beopen at the top, with the top of the adapter protruding through it. Suchcaps are often re ferred to herein as open caps. Other caps whichenclose the top of the adapter are often referred to herein as closurecaps.

A preferred adapter is provided with a tongue which rests on the top ofthe bottle and is squeezed by the cap which holds the adapter on thebottle. Different forms of such a cap are shown in the drawings and willbe discussed in what follows. An open cap may be provided with externalthreads which fits over the adapter and holds it to the bottle and ontowhich is screwed a closure cap which encloses the top of the adapter.

In one preferred form of the invention a relatively rigid closure cap isprovided which encloses the top of the adapter and screws onto externalthreads on the bottle. The adapter and cap are so designed that when theadapter is inserted in the cap it is retained in the cap even when thecap is positioned to be screwed down onto a bottle. In assembling theadapter and cap on a filled bottle, the adapter is first put in the cap,and then the cap is screwed onto the bottle. Thus the three areconveniently assembled in a single operation. The adapter employed inthis way is preferably provided with snap-on means so that it willfasten itself onto the bottle as the cap is screwed onto the bottle.Thereafter,

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when the cap is unscrewed the adapter remains fastened to the bottle andis not removed with the cap. This type of adapter is illustrated in thedrawings and will be more particularly described in what follows.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a section through a bottle or the likeprovided with an externally threaded neck, and shows an adapter heldthereon by a relatively rigid open cap with external threads onto whicha closure cap is threaded;

Fig. 2 is a cross section through a bottle showing a snap-on adapterinside a relatively rigid cap which is threaded onto a bottle or thelike;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the assembly shown in Fig. 2, illustratingthe adapter held in the cap as the cap is about to be screwed onto thebottle or the like;

Fig. 4 is a section through a bottle having an adapter held thereon by arelatively rigid open cap, and shows a closure cap threaded onto theadapter; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of a modified form of the adapter shown in Figs. 2and 3.

In the drawings Fig. l shows a rigid bottle 1 made of glass,earthenware, plastic or the like. The adapter 2 is of flexible plasticysuch as polyethylene, etc. This adapter is provided with the annularflange 3 which is held to the bottle by the relatively rigid open cap 4of plastic or the like. The rigid closure cap 5 is threaded onto the cap4.

There is an opening through the adapter through which liquid may bepoured. The adapter is provided with the pouring lip 8. Any liquiddripping from the pouring lip or running down the outside of the adapterafter pouring, is caught in the channel 9. This channel en circles theopening through the adapter and drains from the front to the rear whereliquid running back through the channel is returned to the bottlethrough the opening 11 between the wall portion 12 and the bottomcylindrical portion 13 of the adapter from which the baffle 14 projects.The baffle limits the amount of liquid that can be poured through theadapter so that none will run out through the opening 11, and performssuch other functions as providing a smooth flow of liquid from theadapter, etc. The wall 17 rises from the floor of the channel andretains within the channel any liquid being returned to the bottle.

The wall 17 has a further function; The closurecap 5 is threaded ontothe open cap or holddown ring 4` at 20. `The apron 21 which containsinternal threads is` of greater diameter than the dome 23. Radiallyinward` from the apron 21 and preferably at the bottom of the dome isthe lip 24, the outer surface 25 of which tapers inwardly. As theclosure cap 5 is screwed onto the open cap 4, the upper edge of theflexible wall 17 of the adapter is squeezed between the wall 30 of theopen cap 4 and the lip 24 on` the closure cap 5. The surface 25 issloped so that the top of the wall 17 is squeezed as` the cap 5 isturned down on the threads 20 on the open cap. In this way aliquid-tight seallis formed over the adapter which prevents leakage ofany liquid from the `run-back channel or the bottle in the event thebottle is turned over. It will be noted that the bottom surface 31 ofthe `closure cap 5 does` not seat against the shoulder 32 on the `cap 4because this would limit the amount that the cap Scould be tightenedagainst the wall 17. As shown, the cap 5 is tightened until an adequateseal is formed with the wall 17.

The externally threaded wall 30 of the cap 4 is of smaller diameter.than the apron, 35 which is. screwed onto the bottle. This necessitatesthe shoulder 32 which extends outwardly above the flange 3 of theadapter and presses it against the end of the bottle. It will be notedthat the lower surface 38 of the cap 4 does not seal against the flange39 of the bottle, but itis possible to screw the cap 4 onto the bottleany desired distance to lfjornli a tight seal between the flange and theend of the Ott e.

The cap 4 is provided with a lip 40 at the base of the wall 30. This lippresses against the flange 3 at about the center of the end of thebottle and assists in making a tight seal between the flange 3 and theend of the bottle. It -is noted that in the preferred form illustratedin Fig. l, the top surface of the flange is not at but` the outer edge42 is higher than the surface located immediately inwardly from it. Thistends to apply pressure to the downwardly projecting portion or tongue43 at the outer edge of the lower surface of the ilange. This portion 43is provided with the downwardly and outwardly slanting surface 44 whichmakes contact with the outer rim of the end of the bottle. As the cap 4is screwed on the bottle and the flange 3 is pressed against its end,this tapering tongue 43 is squeezed between the edge of the bottle andthe inner surface of the cap, and makes a tight seal.

A tight seal is likewise formed at the inner rim of the end of ythebottle by the downwardly projecting annular tongue 50. The inner wall ofthe tongue is substantially perpendicular when no pressure is applied toit. The outer surface of the bottom tapers downwardly and inwardly. Thetongue is relatively thin at the neck 51 where it joins the adapter.This relatively thin portion between the adapter and the portion whichcontacts the inner rim of the end of the bottle permits the tongue tollex inwardly, as shown, when pressure is applied to it. Such exingoccurs without distortion of the adapter because the thin neckaccommodates itself to the pressure applied.

Thus the adapter forms two independent seals with the end of the bottleby means of the tongues 43 and 50, and there is an air pocket 52 betweenthese. One of these seals is at the outer rim of the end of the bottleand the other is at the inner rim. As the adapter is pressed onto theend of the bottle, the air in this pocket is compressed. The volume ofthe pocket is ordinarily so Vmuch less than the space in the top of thebottle, that the air in the pocket 52 is under greater pressure than anyair or gas in the bottle. This tends to prevent any leakage between thetongue 50 and the end of the bottle. Thus, the seal at the end of thebottle is triply tight, being secured by the tongues 43 and 50, and inaddition, by the air pocket 52 which contains air under pressure.

In the manufacture of the adapter, the tongue 50 serves another purpose.This tongue and the bead 55 assist the bottom core of the mold inpulling the adapter out of the mold cavity.

The adapter shown in each of the drawings is a flexible adapter andforms an annular air pocket at the end of the bottle to which it isaixed, and also forms a seal on each side of the air pocket. In eachconstruction the air in the pocket will be compressed. As illustrated,the seals need not be at the inner and outer edges of the end of thebottle, but one or both may be intermediate the edges. Likewise, asshown, such an air pocket may be formed on bottles having ends ofdifferent contours.

The exible adapter 60 of Fig. 2 may be made of polyethylene, etc. '[herelatively rigid closure cap 61 may be of any hard plastic, metal, etc.The adapter and cap and rigid bottle 62 are all designed with a view toassembling the adapter and cap on the bottle in the manner illustratedin Fig. 3. The bottle is provided with external threads 63 onto whichthe internal threads in the cap 61 are screwed. The portion of the neckof the bottle from which the threads 63 project s of larger externaldiameter than the portion above it which includes the groove 64 and theprotruding portion 65 above the groove. These are designed to receivethe snap-on tongue 67 which projects downwardly from the adapter andhold it and the adapter on the bottle. v

The adapter is of the general run-back type illustrated in Fig. l,although the proportions of the various parts are not the same as inFig. 1.

The upper end of the flexible wall 69 which surrounds the run-backchannel lits into the groove 70 in the rigid cap. The surface 71 of thisgroove tapers downwardly and inwardly so that as the cap is tightenedonto the bottle, the top of the ilexible wall is squeezed in the groove,and a tight seal is formed. It will be noted that the bottom edge 72 ofthe cap does not contact the shoulder 73 on the bottle, but the extentto which the cap is threaded onto the bottle depends upon the resistanceof the top of the wall 69 to the pinch of the groove 70.

Spaced inwardly from the tongue 67 is the annular tongue or rib 75 whichis relatively pointed and forms a tight seal with the end of the bottleas the cap and adapter are seated on it.

Located radially inwardly from the rib 75 is the tongue 76. This tongueis of the same general design as the tongue 50 of Fig. l except that itsdimensions are smaller. The lower surface tapers downwardly inwardly andthe tongue is attached to the adapter by a relatively thin neck. Thispermits the tongue 76 to flex inwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, whenpressure is applied. The inner wall of the tongue 76 is vertical whenout of contact with the bottle.

The cap and adapter shown in Fig. 2 are so designed that when theadapter is put in the cap and the cap is held in the position shown inFig. 3 over the bottle, the adapter will remain in the cap. One way ofaccomplishing this is for the wall 80 of the cap to taper inwardly everso slightly and for the outer surface 81 of the adapter to taper atabout the same angle or a slightly greater angle. Then when the cap isVinverted, and the adapter in inverted position is placed in the cap theadapter will slide downwardly in the cap until it reaches a position atwhich it is firmly held by the cap and the two can thereafter be held inthe position shown in Fig. 3 without danger of the adapter falling outof the cap.

Below the wall 80 the cap widens at 93. This gives suicient room betweenthe wall and the projection 65 on the mouth of the bottle for the tongue67 to slide over the projection into the groove 64.

l now describe how the adapter and cap are assembled on the bottle afterit has been filled, The adapter is placed in the cap, preferably byinverting both :and simply dropping the inverted adapter in the invertedcap. Alternatively, the adapter may be forced into the cap. The adapteris held by the cap so that when the two are thereafter turned upright(as shown in Fig. 3) the adapter will remain in the cap. There areseveral ways of holding the adapter in the cap, as by providing a beadon the inner wall of the cap or the outer wall of the adapter and acomplementary groove on the other surface, or by wedging the adapter inthe cap, or by having a portion of the adapter pinched by a suitablearrangement in the caps, etc. Whatever means is used for holding theadapter in the cap, after the bottle has been lled the two are held overthe bottle, as shown in Fig. 3. Then the cap is pressed -down onto thebottle and screwed onto it, and this causes the tongue 67 of the adapterto widen over the projection 65 on the bottle and tosnap into the groove64. The adapter is thus snapped onto the bottle and will be held on thebottle even when the ultimate consumer unscrews the cap from the bottleto pour the contents from the bottle.

When the cap is lowered onto the bottle with the adapter held in thecap, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the internal threads on the cap engagethe external threads 63 'on the bottle before the tongue 67 touches theouter end of the bottle. Then as the cap is screwed onto the bottle thetongue 67 is drawn into contact with the bottle and is widened over theprojection 65, and eventually is snapped into the groove 64 before thecap is screwed the final distance onto the bottle. The tongue 67 holdsthe adapter rmly on the end of the bottle and after it has been firmlyseated in the groove 64 it resists turning with the cap. When the tongue67 lits in the groove 64 it compresses tongue 76 sufficiently to hold ittight to the end of the bottle thereby preventing leakage between thebottle and the adapter when cap 61 is removed from the bottle. When thecap is unscrewed by the ultimate consumer the adapter does not turn andis not lifted from the end of the bottle.

The bottle with the snap-on holding arrangement (groove 64 andprojection 65) of less diameter than the threaded neck of the bottle isnovel and is claimed herein as my invention.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 the closure cap 84 is of flexiblematerial and may be polyethylene. The adapter S5 is likewise flexibleand may be made of polyethylene or the like. The open cap 86 isrelatively rigid as is also the bottle 87 which may be made of glass,earthenware, plastic or the like. The cap 86 is screwed onto the bottlewhen the adapter is positioned on the bottle and is not removed untilthe adapter is removed. This open cap applies pressure to the flexibleflange 88 of the adapter so that there is no leakage from the bottle.The flexible cap 84 makes a tight seal with the :adapter so that thereis no leakage between it and the adapter.

The outer edge of the flexible flange 88 projects upwardly at 89 anddownwardly at 90. The pressure of the shoulder 9ll of the cap 86 againstthe upper rim 89 of the adapter is transmitted to the lower rim 90 andinsures close contact between this rim and the outer rim of the topsurface of the bottle.

The adapter itself is of the general run-back type illustrated in thepreceding drawings. The tongue 92 is similar in construction to thetongue 76 of Figs. 2 and 3. It forms a tight seal with the inner rim ofthe top of the bottle. In order to unite the tongue 92 to the adapter bythe thin neck 93 it is necessary that the tongue 92 be spaced from thelateral iiange 88 of the adapter. The inner rim 93 at the bottom of thelateral iiange 88 is pointed downwardly and when the adapter is drawnagainst the bottle by the cap 86 this inner rim forms a tight seal withthe top of the bottle. The air pocket 94 between the tongue 92 and thepoint 9S contains air which is compressed as the adapter is drawn to thebottle. This tends to prevent leakage of any liquid outward around thetongue 92.

The closure cap 34 is of flexible material and ordinarily will be ofmuch the same composition as the adapter. As the cap is threaded ontothe bottle, the top of the wall 95 around the run-back channel ispinched in the groove 96. The outer surface 97 of the tongue whichprojects downwardly from the `bottom edge of the dome of the cap 84slants downwardly inwardly so that the tighter the cap is screwed ontothe adapter the tighter the wall 95 is pinched. There is thus no leakageof any liquid between the :adapter and the cap S4. The top of theopening 96 is very slightly narrower than the top of the wall 95 so thatthe latter is never brought into Contact with the former because thisinsures a seal between the wall 95 and both the wall of the cap 4and thetongue 97.

Figure 5 shows a modification of the adapter shown in Figs. 2 `and 3.The tongue 100 which ts into the groove 64 of the bottle is ofrelatively uniform thickness instead of being bulbous. This facilitatesits removal from the mold in which it is formed. The bulbous tongue 67of the adapter of Figs. 2 and 3 must be squeezed through the narrowannular opening which forms the thin neck by which the bulbous part ofthe tongue is attached to the adapter. By forming the tongue ofsubstantially uniform thickness, such resistance during removal from themold is avoided. The adapter of Fig. 5 makes contact with the bottle atits rims. There is no intermediate point of contact as by the rib 75 ofthe adapter illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

in the arrangements illustrated in Figs. l and 4, the

open cap is threaded on to the bottle and the closure cap is threaded onto the open ring (Fig. 1) and the adapter (Fig. 4). Both threads mayturn in the same direction; i. e., they may both be right hand threadsor left hand threads. Then when one attempts to screw off the cap, thewhole assembly may be screwed oi of the bottle. If, however, the threadsare different, one being left hand and the other right hand, this isimpossible.

The molds in which the adapters are formed are advantageously designedso that the parting lines do not coincide with any sealing surfaces ofthe adapters. All sealing surfaces are therefore smooth and. formedexactly to predetermined dimensions.

Tongues 50, 76, 92 and 97 are shown as being more or less `bulbous. Whenlarge, it may be difficult to remove a tongue of this shape from themold. The tongues may be shaped as desired to perform the intendedfunctlon.

Although various moditications are shown in the accompanying drawings,the invention is not limited thereto as will be evident to the manskilled in the art. The invention is described more particularly inconnection with use of the adapter on bottles, although the adaptersshown may be used on tin containers, etc. Although particularly designedfor use with an adapter provided with a runback channel, other adaptersare included in the appended claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my applications SerialNos. 130,432 filed December 1, 1949, which is Patent 2,601,039, and172,167 led July 5, 1950, which is Patent 2,601,040.

What I claim is:

l. In combination with the neck of a container and fastened thereon, anadapter of exible resilient plastic material with an openingtherethrough and the base of which forms continuous seals around the endof the neck in two locations spaced radially from one another with anair pocket between them adjacent the end of the neck, and a closure capwhich seals the opening.

2. In combination with the neck of a. container and fastened thereon, aspout adapter of ilexible resilient plastic material with an openingtherethrough and the base of which forms continuous seals around the endof the neck at its inner and outer rims with an air pocket between theseals adjacent the end of the neck, and a closure cap which seals theopening.

3. In combination with a rigid neck of a container, a flexible resilientplastic adapter with an opening therethrough and a flange against theend of the neck, and a rigid cap fastened to the bottle and providedwith a surface which covers the outer portion of the flange and pressesit to the end of the neck.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which there is an annular air pocketaround the bottle between the flange and the end of the bottle, with theflange sealed to the end of the bottle continuously on each side of theair pocket.

5. In combination with a rigid neck of a container, a flexible resilientplastic adapter with an opening therethrough and a bottom portionthereof snapped over the end of the neck and held thereon, and a rigidcap which encloses the adapter and seals the opening and is fastenedonto a portion of the neck which is larger in outside diameter than theportion onto which the adapter is snapped, and is below it.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which a portion of the adapter overliesthe -end of the neck and the cap presses the adapter against the end ofthe neck.

7. In combination with a rigid neck of a container, a flexible resilientplastic spout adapter with an opening therethrough and having a wallsurrounding the opening, and a closure cap which encloses the spout andseals the opening, the top of the wall being squeezed in a groove in theunderside of the tcap.

8. The combination of claim 7 in which one wall of 7 the groove slantsdownwardly in contact with the top of the wall of the adapter.

9. In combination, a bottle and ilexible resilient plastic adapter, thebottle having external threads on the neck spaced from the end thereof,a portion of smaller outside diameter between the threads and said end,and a groove surrounding the neck between the threads and said portionof smaller diameter, and the adapter having a bead on its inner surfaceengaged in the groove.

10. The method of assembling a rigid bottle, a rigid closure cap adaptedto be fastened to the bottle, and a flexible resilient plastic adapterwith an opening therethrough which adapter when inside the cap isadapted to be fastened by pressure to the bottle, which method comprisesputting the adapter in the cap, and then fastening the cap to the bottleand thereby exerting pressure on the adapter against the top of thebottle and thereby fastening the adapter to the bottle.

11. In combination a rigid neck of a rigid container, a flexibleresilient plastic adapter with an opening therethrough and fastened tothe neck, and a rigid closure cap independently fastened to the neckover the adapter and sealing the opening, the outer surface of a wall ofthe adapter being in contact with the inner surface of a wall of the capso that were the container not there the adapter would be supported bythe cap.

12. In combination, a flexible spout adapter with an openingtherethrough and held to the end of a rigid bottle or the like by arigid open cap through which the spout of the adapter protrudes, the caphaving an externally threaded wall rising around the opening, and arigid closure cap which encloses the top of the spout and seals theopening and is threaded onto said threads on the Wall; the adapter beingprovided around its spout with a cylindrical wall of uniform heightwhich is substantially the Y same height as said externally threadedwall, upper portions of said Walls being in contact with one another, anannular projection protruding downwardly from the closure cap inwardlyof said adapter wall having its outer surface slanting inwardlydownwardly in contact with the top of th'e adapter wall and pressing itagainst the top of the externally threaded wall of the cap.

13. In combination a rigid bottle or the like, a flexible resilientplastic spout adapter with an opening therethrough and a lateral ilangetouching the end of the bottle in two radially spaced annular locations,and a rigid cap attached to the neck, there being an annular lipprojecting downwardly from the under surface of the cap which appliespressure to the top of the flange intermediate said annular locations.

14. A container with a flexible resilient plastic adapter fastened at anopening therein, the adapter having a passage therethrough adapted toserve as a pouring outlet, and a cap which is fastened to the containerand the inner surface of which throughout a continuous area aroundopening makes sealing contact with the adapter.

15. A container with an adapter fastened at an opening therein, theadapter having a passage therethrough adapted to serve as a pouringoutlet, a spout at the upper end of the passage, a channel in theadapter around the 8 passage which includes a higher portion under thespout and a lower portion at the opposite side of the adapter with anopening from said lower portion into the passage so that liquidcollecting in the channel from the pouring spout will drain to theopening and thence to the passage, the outer edge of the channel beingdefined by an annular wall of uniform height which encircles thepassage, and a cap which encloses the top of the adapter and is fastenedto the container and the inner surface of which makes sealing contactwith the top of the wall.

16. A container with a flexible resilient plastic adapter fastened atthe opening therein, the adapter having a passage therethrough adaptedto serve as a pouring outlet, a sprout at the upper end of the passage,a channel outside of the passage which includes a higher portion underthe spout and a lower portion at the opposite side of the adapter with adrain for supplying liquid from said lower portion to the interior ofthe container, the outer edge of the channel being defined by an annularwall which extends to a uniform height above the opening in thecontainer, and a cap which encloses the top of the adapter and isfastened to the container and the inner surface of which makes sealingcontact with the top of the Wall.

17. In combination with a rigid neck of a container, a flexibleresilient plastic adapter with an opening therethrough and a lian-geagainst the end of the neck, and a rigid cap `fastened to the neck, acontinuous and generally annular portion of the cap being in pressurecontact with the flange and pressing it into sealing Contact with theend of the neck.

18. In combination with the neck of a rigid container and fastenedthereon, `an adapter of exible resilient plastic material with anopening therethrough and the base of which is formed with two continuousprojections which make continuous seals with the end of the neck in twolocations spaced radially from one another with an air pocket betweenthem adjacent the end of the neck.

19. In combination with the rigid neck of a container a llexibl'eresilient plastic adapter with an opening therethrough and a flangeagainst the end of the container, and a rigid cap fastened to the neckand the under surrface of which covers the outer portion of the flangeand presses it to the end of the neck, the ilange thickening at itsperimeter so that the edge of the -ilange extends both above and belowthe portion of the flange adjacent it, and such thickened edgeconstituting the outer portion of the iange which is compressed betweensaid under surface of the cap and the end of the neck.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 512,438Hallowell Jan. 9, 1894 1,768,098 Aulbach June 24, 1930 1,892,788Schwartz Ian. 3, 1933 2,222,594 Metcalf Nov. 26, 1940 2,249,832Hubschman July 22, 1941 2,573,378 Zurlinden Oct. 30, 1951 2,630,944Wheaton Mar. 10, 1953

